Chemical plating solutions are required to be analyzed to determine that the proper concentration of plating solution chemicals and metal element are present. Some plating solutions require more precise control than others. For example a chemical plating solution that is used for nickel plating of printed electrical circuit boards requires very close control. The nickel content present in the chemical plating solution must be known while plating. If there is more or less nickel than the specified concentration, undesirable electrical circuit boards will result.
At present, when an operator wants to know the nickel content in a plating solution, he will take a sample of the plating solution and carry it to a set-up in the plating room or to an analytical laboratory to be analyzed by a chemist. A conventional method that is generally used for the analysis of nickel in the plating solution is the ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) titration method. Such a method is time consuming.
A less time consuming and a very accurate method for determining nickel would be advantageous for circuit board plating industry. Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and dependable analytical device for the determination of nickel in the chemical plating solution. Another object of this invention is to provide a fast chemical method for the analysis of nickel in the chemical plating solution that can be carried out in a matter of a few minutes. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a simple device so that an unskilled technician can be trained to operate it.